1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to auxiliary towel racks adapted to be used with existing, stationary towel bars, and, more particularly, to an auxiliary towel rack exceedingly simple in construction and having improved wall-engaging and towel bar-engaging qualties.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of auxiliary racks, particularly towel racks, already are known. These auxiliary towel racks are adapted to be used with stationary, horizontally extending towel bars commonly found in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, and so forth.
Typical prior auxiliary towel racks are made of metal rod up to 0.25 inch in diameter. The racks typically include hooked portions by which the rack can be hung on the towel bar. In most instances, the racks include a portion engageable with the wall so that an object-receiving portion of the rack will project outwardly of the towel bar.
Although these prior devices function adequately to support towels or other objects, they have had certain drawbacks which have made their widespread use impractical. Generally, the prior devices are large and quite bulky and include numerous bends and welded joints. Not only do the racks occupy a substantial space, but they also are expensive to manufacture. Removal and storage of prior racks is made difficult because of their bulkiness. Moreover, the hooked portions of the racks can present difficulties in handling and in storage.
One known rack overcomes some of the foregoing difficulties by providing a platform-like rack from which a pair of spaced legs depend. The spaced legs are connected by an interconnecting, elongate portion. The legs are placed behind an existing towel bar and the weight of the rack, as well as objects placed on the rack, tends to bias the interconnecting portion into firm engagement with the wall. Although this device is thought to be an improvement over other towel rack configurations, certain difficulties still remain. The relationship of the interconnecting portion, the legs, and the platform to each other is such that the towel bar is loaded improperly. That is, the towel bar is loaded in tension with respect to the wall so that if a weak towel bar/wall mounting is provided, the towel bar may be pulled from the wall. Another concern is that removal of objects from the rack may tend to dislodge the rack from the towel bar. In order to alleviate this problem, the prior rack in question provided towel bar-engaging members in an attempt to prevent excessive movement of the towel rack. The towel bar-engaging members added undesirably to the complexity and expense of the assembly.